High school swimming: Mayfield boys lead area charge at SPIRE (with four videos)

Jeff Forman/JForman@News-Herald.comKelly Roddy, Mayfield, swims in the 500 freestyle Saturday during the Division I sectional meet at the Spire Institute in Geneva. Roddy finished in third place in her heat.

It was a common refrain from the Mayfield boys for Saturday's Division I sectional meet at SPIRE Institute in Harpersfield Township. They considered themselves "beat up" from training.

Just because they may have been beat up didn't mean the Wildcats couldn't still land a few knockout punches of their own.

Mayfield led The News-Herald area charge with eight automatic qualifiers for next week's Cleveland State District, including wins from its outstanding 200-yard freestyle and 400 free relays and individually from Zack Milenius (200 and 500 free), Lenny Sterle (50 free) and Justin Ciferno (100 free).

"We're definitely worn out," Milenius said. "We had a hard week coming into sectionals. I think it's reassuring to come in and do as well as we did. Overall we're happy, I think."

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Milenius recorded a repeat sweep in distance free. In the 200 free, the senior cut 1.12 seconds off his second 50 split from a year ago in sectional competition to win in 1 minute, 46.36 seconds.

Later in the 500 free, Milenius was 2.22 seconds faster than his winning time last winter at Case Western Reserve and improved on seven of his 10 splits, including a very strong .79 improvement on his second-to-last 50.

"I guess it was a bit of a shock just getting into the 200," Milenius said. "I went a little slower than I would have liked starting out, and so I just knew I had to pick it up.

"I was looking to be a little faster (in the 500 free), maybe cut some of the 29s out. But I think by districts I'll be fine."

Ciferno edged teammate Grant Gillenwater to take the 100 free by one-tenth in 48.21, good for a cut of 1.41 from his winning time in 2012 at Case.

"It's pretty exciting," said Ciferno, who also turned in a 21.78 anchor split on the Wildcats' winning 200 free relay. "It's my best time this year.

"I wish I could have gone faster in the first 50 (a 23.33 split), but I think I had a really strong second 50. I definitely could have went out a little faster, but I was really happy with the win, and to win the same event two years in a row is pretty cool."

On the girls side, it was another memorable chapter in the continued renaissance in recent years for Euclid.

Panthers junior Sam Lisy won her third straight sectional crown in the 200 individual medley, hitting the wall in 2:07.80 with a 27.63 opening butterfly split and a 32.45 back split to open a 1.67-second lead midway. Lisy also repeated in the 100 fly in 59.08.

"I was satisfied with the IM," Lisy said. "Of course I wanted to go better just because I always shoot my hopes higher. But we have a different training regimen that we're doing this year, so I'm setting my hopes out for the future in two weeks and do what it takes to get to districts and then to state.

"(The fly) wasn't my best, and I wasn't exactly thrilled with it. But I know what I need to do to make it better for next week. I need to make it faster to get it to state. Where's the fun if you don't have anything to improve on, right?"

Senior Andrea Bartel gave Euclid a 1-2 finish in the IM with an impressive 1.53-second shave from her runner-up performance in 2012 at Case to take second again in 2:09.16. In the 100 breast, it was once more a duel between Bartel and her good friend, Mentor sophomore standout Maria Coy. Coy took out her opening 50 in 32.02 to grab the lead, but Bartel powered home in 35.22 to edge Coy in 1:07.66.

"I was definitely happy (with the IM)," Bartel said. "I wanted to go under 2:10 for sure, and of course I would've been happy with something faster.

"(The 100 breast) was actually almost exactly like the race last year, but that's what makes it more exciting, honestly. I love the end of the race. That's my strong point. (Coy's opening 50) is so much faster. So I was really happy with that time, and I'm so excited to make it even faster next week."